Atlantic 10 Adds George Mason University as Full Member

Mar 25, 2013

NEWPORT NEWS, Va.—The Atlantic 10 Conference
Council of Presidents has unanimously voted to formally accept an
application for membership from George Mason University the league
announced Monday. The largest university in Virginia, George
Mason has an enrollment of over 32,500 and fields 20 of the
A-10’s 21 championship sports.

Mason, located in Fairfax, Va., will join the A-10 on July 1, 2013
and begin competition in the 2013-14 academic year. It will be the
third Virginia-based institution (Richmond, VCU) in the Atlantic 10
and the second in the Washington, D.C. metro area (George
Washington).

"George Mason University is an excellent addition to the Atlantic
10 Conference," said Chair of the A-10 Council of Presidents and
President of The George Washington University Dr. Steven Knapp.
"The Patriots share both our strong commitment to intercollegiate
athletics and our academic values. We're delighted to welcome
George Mason to the A-10 at a moment when the conference is
enjoying unprecedented strength."

The addition strengthens the Atlantic 10’s presence as the
most successful basketball-centric conference in Division I. The
league had nine members selected for postseason play in men’s
basketball in 2013, including five for the NCAA Tournament, the
third most of any Division I conference.

“I am honored and excited to welcome George Mason to the
Atlantic 10 Conference. They are a perfect fit for our league with
world-class academic programs and a nationally successful
intercollegiate athletic program,” stated A-10 Commissioner
Bernadette V. McGlade. “The addition of Mason further
strengthens our footprint, enhances our brand and will allow us to
continue to build on our national prominence and success in
men’s basketball and all sports.”

A trademark of the Atlantic 10 Conference is its academic
excellence; the league ranks second among all Division I
conferences in the most recent NCAA graduation rates with an
incredible 90 percent of student-athletes graduating. Mason’s
latest GSR scores are in step with all current A-10
institutions.

"This is an exciting time for George Mason University," said
George Mason President Ángel Cabrera. "Our partnership with
the Atlantic 10 is one that we have considered carefully and we
have concluded with confidence that the time is right to join the
A-10. Our partnership with the Atlantic 10 aligns with our core
commitments as we move into the next phase of this
university’s impressive journey. We are confident that our
new partnership with the A-10 is critical to helping us build on
our past with optimism for a future that influences the landscape
of the national capital region and to new markets introduced to us
through this valuable relationship with colleges and universities
in the A-10."

Athletically, the Atlantic 10 has had 50 at-large NCAA Men’s
Basketball Tournament selections in the past 25 years, including
four this season. The A-10 has boasted 71 postseason
appearances in the last decade. For the sixth year in a row, the
Atlantic 10 Conference earned at least three bids and multiple
at-large bids into the NCAA Tournament. The A-10 has had 10
institutions rated in the top 100 of the RPI for most of the
season.

George Mason went to the Final Four in 2006. The Patriots have
made a total of six NCAA Tournament appearances, three of which
have come in the last seven years. That includes the 2006 Final
Four run. Mason is currently playing in the CBI, the fourth
postseason appearance for the school in the past six years.

One of just five conferences to have its men’s basketball
championship air on network television (CBS), the A-10 recently
signed record media rights agreements with ESPN, CBS Sports Network
and NBC Sports Network. The league also just completed its first
Men’s Basketball Championship in the state-of-the-art
Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y.

“With changes in the collegiate landscape, the opportunity
to become a member of the Atlantic 10 Conference provides
outstanding opportunities for our intercollegiate athletics program
and the university as a whole,” said Tom O’Connor,
assistant vice president and director of athletics. “Our
vision for Mason athletics is to be the best overall athletics
program in the conference, with an emphasis on men’s and
women’s basketball, and this perfectly aligned with the
Atlantic 10’s vision and accomplishments.”

Atlantic 10, one of the premier women’s basketball leagues
in the country, is celebrating two consecutive years of 50 percent
of its membership participating in postseason play. George Mason
has sent 11 players to the professional ranks and has two
postseason appearances.

The A-10 has had Olympic sport success as well, earning multiple
NCAA bids in several sports, including a trip to the 2011 NCAA
Men’s Soccer championship game, and at-large bids in
men’s and women’s soccer, volleyball and men’s
golf. UMass’ nationally-ranked women’s lacrosse team
competed in the NCAA Championship last spring as did GW men’s
tennis and Richmond’s women’s tennis.

George Mason has had more than 100 NCAA Olympic sport postseason
appearances and 23 Patriot student-athletes have claimed 35
individual national championships. This includes NCAA titles in
men’s indoor track & field and women’s soccer.
Mason baseball, men’s soccer, women’s soccer and
women’s volleyball have all made NCAA Championship
appearances.

The addition of George Mason strengthens the Atlantic 10’s
presence in the Washington D.C. metro area, the eighth largest
media market in the country. Mason joins long-time A-10 member The
George Washington University. The Atlantic 10 holds one of
the most impressive media footprints in all of Division I. The
addition of George Mason means there are eight A-10 schools located
in the top 25 media markets in the country and every institution is
located in the top 65 markets.